In the manufacture of paper products, such as bath tissue, a wide variety of product characteristics must be given attention in order to provide a final product with the appropriate blend of attributes suitable for the product's intended purposes. Improving the softness of tissues is a continuing objective in tissue manufacture, especially for premium products. Softness, however, is a perceived property of tissue comprising many factors including thickness, flexibility, smoothness, and fuzziness.
It is known that the perceived softness of tissues can be improved by the application of a chemical additive, such as a polysiloxane lotion, that is applied to the surface of the web. However, typical application methods such as printing using a gravure coater reduce the tissue's bulk from the compressive nip forces of the rotating rolls through which the web is passed. The printing process also tends to matt down any protruding fibers on the tissue's surface and covers them up with the applied chemical additive. Thus, the printing process creates more of a slicker smooth surface with the protruding fibers laid down and covered by the applied chemical additive as opposed to a fuzzy soft surface having protruding fibers, which can be preferred. Visualize a soft fuzzy teddy bear having lots of protruding fibers on its surface and then visualize that same bear dunked into baby oil lotion and run through a wringer (simulating the printing process). While the lotion coated surface of the teddy bear may feel smoother, it may not be perceived as soft as the uncoated surface having lots of protruding fibers.
Further aggravating the tissue's loss of bulk are the compressive forces exerted on the web during winding and converting. This process can also further reduce the tissue's fuzzy surface leading to a loss of softness. Thus, a need exists for a-wound paper product having a topically applied chemical that exhibits both high bulk and a fuzzy soft surface.